Just some of the stupid things I see

How is that different from multi stops in the same town where they allow on duty not driving?

 

So if a trailer is empty with no bill of LADEN how is that Laden... If you have an empty trailer that means no freight so no bills .Unless maybe your delivering a new trailer that has bills for it!!

 

The difference is that they don't. It's actually laid out in the rules that if you are driving in an area that is not open to the public, you can log on duty. The stops in the same town rule says you can log all your on duty time together, then all your driving time together when you leave town. I thought it said that you could just log on duty while driving but someone posted the rule up a while back and it doesn't.

 

IP, I know that. XXXL...if you are driving ON THE STREET headed to the lot where they tell you the MT is at, you are certainly driving.

Like I said, by the rules, if you are BT and driving all over hell's half acre looking for a new MT, you are on-duty. Driving if you are not on the lot.

But you ARE unladen, and under dispatch, presumably. However, you won't have your bills yet (most likely). So, an LEO is going to probably think you are on PC if you cross his path while BT around town. Imagine his surprise when he looks at your logbook when he pulls you over for not using your turn signal. (And yes, I've seen a fair number of you guys not using signals. Even with a trailer behind you.)

 

Are you going to log the 5 mins between that drop and hook as driving? I don't think so, that is why I say on duty not driving, you can also log on duty not driving if doing multiple drops or pickups in the same town or city instead of jumping back and forth is all I was getting at. Its really not that hard, if you are performing work related duties you need to be either on duty not driving or driving. As far as a empty trailer being unladen, if it is hooked to the truck than you are laden, that is the way several DOT officials have explained it me. If there is any way you can be in commerce (empty hooked to truck) than you are laden. I have had alot of conversations with DOT about this from when I was setting my truck up to pull my 45 foot 5th wheel R.V. How many guys do you think run either to the shop or home from the shop under PC? That would be a hard one to explain if caught. The way I do my logs is so that if I ever have a DOT audit there will be no worries about that 15 mins someone else might be trying to shave. Than again I don't work that much so I am never close to my 11/14/70 so I see no point in trying to shave a little here or there. You can do what you want and I will do what I do just don't come crying and whining if you are running around with a empty trailer under PC and you find that DOT officer that doesn't see it the same way as you. I do believe that is what started this whole conversation

 

I too have used my KW for personal use when i was home...As long as i was Relieved from all driving duties and was not under dispatch i never had a problem..I used it to go out to the races..store..truck wash..show the grandkids..Had a nevada DOT officer stop me for a random check and he told me there was no problem for me using my truck as a personal vehicle as long as i was not on a dispatch. he did explain to me that if my dispatcher had called me to go get my trailer and pick up a load then i would have had to put it down as on duty driving and he also told me that my 14 hr clock would start as soon as i recieved the call from dispatch....

 

I don't agree with the clock starting as soon as you receive the call . What if they called on Friday for a load you were to pick up Monday ?
Some of our drivers live 50 miles from the terminal . We get loads assigned on our Blackberry . Drivers that are off duty tell the dispatcher to not assign them a load while they are off duty . They say to just let them know something might be available and they bobtail in off duty to see what might be going on .

 

There was a driver told this by the scale in MN. He arranged a load while in a motel room taking his 34 hour break.

He was issued a warning because they took the stand that the driver was to have logged on duty not driving for the phone call for the load.

It seems to me that they are doing everything for a buck anymore.

 

ALL your drivers should quit going to MN . Maybe the RV dealers there would try to have some influence if they ran out of trailers .

 

Boy that's a strech. I guess you have to be very careful what you say when you're asked the "fishing" questions. It's all in the wording and maybe in what you don't say.